Britannia Radio

This is not entirely unexpected.  The ‘Yes-es’ were bound to have a 
rebound and might well hasng on to it.  However, the ‘No-s” came from 
behind last time but not so far behind.   I wish them well but I’m 
not a great optimist.

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EU OBSERVER   12.1.09
Irish poll shows majority support for Lisbon Treaty

ANDREW WILLIS

A new poll suggests that a majority of Irish voters may back the 
Lisbon Treaty in a second referendum set to be held this year.

The Sunday Independent / Quantum Research survey carried out last 
Friday showed that 55 per cent of the 500 people asked would support 
the treaty while 37 per cent said they would oppose it and 15 per 
cent said they were undecided.s by Google

These latest figures should a strong rise in support (plus 16%) for 
the charter when compared to a survey carried out by the same 
newspaper in December. Those saying they would vote against the 
treaty decreased by seven percent.

The poll comes after EU leaders in December agreed to give Ireland 
guarantees that the treaty would not affect issues such as tax and 
neutrality.

Ireland's deteriorating economy is likely to be an important factor 
behind the change of heart, with many still shocked and angered by 
last week's announcement that 1,900 jobs at the Dell plant in 
Limerick are to be transferred to Poland.

The poll also shows a steep decline in support for the government and 
Prime Minister Brian Cowen and a corresponding rise in support for 
opposition parties and in particular Labour leader Eamon Gilmore.

The Irish statistics office said that the estimated unemployment rate 
has now reached 8.3 per cent, up 0.5 per cent from last November.

This figure is likely to worsen over the coming months with one of 
the state's largest employers, Waterford Wedgewood, calling in the 
receivers last week.

Meanwhile, leader of the anti-Lisbon Libertas party Declan Ganley 
suffered a setback over the weekend in Prague where talks broke down 
surrounding proposals to run candidates under the Libertas banner.

Instead Petr Mach, who had been in discussions with Mr Ganley, is to 
found the Free Citizens' Party in the Czech capital today (12 
January), also campaigning on an anti-Lisbon ticket.

Mr Mach, an economist and close associate of eurosceptic Czech 
President Vaclav Klaus, said he wanted to concentrate on national 
rather than EU politics.
"I tried to explain to him that setting up parties is a different 
thing than setting up businesses. If he has a business he can set up 
subsidiaries and he would then be the main shareholder of it. It is 
different with political parties," Mr Mach told the Irish Times.

But Mr Ganley, who ran a successful campaign against the EU treaty in 
the run-up to the June Irish referendum, says he will continue with 
his plan to set up a Libertas branch in the Czech Republic. "Petr 
Mach is a Eurosceptic and I am not," he said